Automatic train-control system or the like



0. A. ROSS AUTOMATIC TRAIN CONTROL SYSTEM OR THE LIKE Jqly 24, 1928.

Filed Nov. 6, 1916 Patented July 24, 1928.

UNITED STATES 1,678,577 PATENT OFFICE.

OSCAR A. ROSS, or BROOKLYN, NEW YORK, Assrenon T GENERAL RAILWAY SIGNAL COMPANY, or earns, new YORK, A CQRIPORATION or new YORK.

AUTOMATIC TRAIN-CONTROL; sYsTEM on THE LIKE.

Application filed November My invention belongs to that class of train control systems adapted for use upon railway systems or the like where it is necessary to control the speed of a train automatically and also notify the operator of conditions under which he should operate his train.

My invention is more particularly for use in connection with train control and signalsystems where the train will be stopped if the operator disobeys his signals in territory where they appear.

In railway systems employing signal or train control or both systems for compelling operators of trains to operate such at a speed demanded by said systems, it is often desirable to operate trains on part of the roadway not equipped: with signal or control devices. Such a section is known as unsignalled territory, while that using signals and control apparatus is termed signal territory. The object of my invention is, by combination of circuits and apparatus on the roadway and train, to automatically place before the operator suitable distinctive signals indicating to him that he is operating his train in territory not equipped with Signals or train control devices. This signal however will only be displayed to him if his train is proceeding from signalled to unsignalled territory, which requires that his train be running in the direction of tratlio. It is evident if a train were runnlng in unsignalled territory, and in a direction against trallic, that it would be incorrect to set up or leave a signal indicating unsignalled territory as it entered signalled territory. Under condition of this kind another distinct indication must be given indicating to the operator that while he is still operating against traliic he is travelling in signalled territory. Also provisions must be made for automatically arranging the con trol devices to be inoperative.

From the foregoing it is obvious that the prime object of my invention is to provide meanswhereby the unsignalled territory signal and arrangement of apparatus will only be establishedwhen a train is traveling in a givendirection, that directlon being n the normal direction of traffic and which is known as with traffic direction.

Referring to the accompanying drawing which is a diagrammatic arrangement of circuits and apparatus on the roadway and on one car, said car being assumed to repre- 6, 1916. Serial No. 129,812.

sent a one car train, 11 are rails of a trackway ofwhich 3blocks are shown. Blocks X and Y are the terminus of signalled territory and have signals as 3' and l, also ramps as 5-5, all of which are used for the control of train 6 in a manner well known to those skilled in the art, and when said train is travelling in the direction of arrow A, or with traffic. Insulated joints 77 separate blocks X, Y, and Z in a manner well known. Block Z represents unsignalled territory or portion of trackway on which trains travel without becoming subject to control of signals or other train control apparatus. Marker 8 displays to the operators of trains and others connected with maintaining apparatus, that this point is theend of'the signalled territory and the beginning of the unsignalled territory. Thispoint is sometimes designated end of automatic block. Transformer 13 supplies energy to the far end of track circuit comprising block Y. At the other end, relay 14 through contact lever supplies energy from transformer 65 to ramps 5, for the purpose of controlling apparatus of. train 6 as will be more fully hereinafter described. Transformer 13 and relay 14 are also present in block X but are not shown. In bloc-k Y are ramps 9 and 10. Ramp 10 is termed a r ght hand ramp as it is on the right hand side of the operator when the train is travelling in the normal direction of trailic as in cheated by arrow A. Ramp 9 is a lefthand ramp. Appended to train 6, but insulated therefrom are contact shoes 11 and 12. lVith train 6 travelling as indicated by arrow A, shoe 12 is a right hand shoe and 11 a left hand shoe. Through the. medium of insulated rods 16-16 shoes 11 and 12 operate contact levers 17, 18, 19, 20, 21 and 22 as they pass over ramps as 9 and 10. Contact levers 7 and 22 are known as make before break, that is, they close a circuit before lovers 19 and open a circuit when a shoe is elevated by engaging a ramp, as 9 or 10. As train 6 has been heretofore described as a single car train it will hereinafter be termed a car. At each end of car 6 are controlling switches 23 and 24. These switches are of well known construction and serve to determine in which direction, if any, car 6 shall be propelled under its own power, or power supplied by a transmission line. Opposite the handle of each switch 23 and Ill) 24 are the characters F, N, and E indicating respectively forward, neutral or reverse movement of car 6. Through the medium of insulated rods 2727, switches 23 and 24 are arranged to operate additional contact levers 28 and 29, dependent upon whether they are in forward neutral or reverse position. Also located on car (3 is relay 30, termed unsignalled territory relay.. This relay is only energized when car 6 is travelling in unsignalled territory indicated by block Z, and as will more fully be explained hereinafter. Relay 30 through the medium of insulated rod 31 operates contact lever 32. Also located on the car 6 is control relay 33 operating, through its insulated member 34, contact lever 35. IChis relay only energized while shoes 11 and 12 pass over ramps as 9 and 10 and then only when said ramps are energized as will more fully be explained hereinafter. Device 86 is an clectro-pneumatic valve controlled by magnets 3? and 38 and is arranged to apply the brakes to the train of which car 6 may be a part when both magnet 37 and 38 are deenergized. Signal 39 is also located on the car and is lighted when said car is travelling in unsignalled territory. Battery 40 supplies energy for operating the several devices on car 6 used in connection with my improved system. Transformer 41 supplies energy to ramp 10 by means of wire 42 and forms one of the elements of the ground circuit more fully explained hereinafter.

In the accompanying drawing car 6 is assumed to be travelling in the direction of arrow A or with traffic and has reached the end of signalled or train control territory and further is about to enter unsignalled territory such as Z, and where it will not be under the guidance of signals such as 3 and 4 and train controlling ramps as 5-5.

Referring to ramps 9 and 10, it will be noted that the entering portion C of ramp 10 is much longer than entering portion C of ramp 9. Therefore as car travels in the direction of arrow A shoe 12 will be elevated first. llhe reason for this will be more fully explained hereinafter.

As shoe 12 contacts with ramp 10 the following circuit is established;

Ground circa-it.

Electra-pneumatic oaloe circuit through reZag From battery wires 46 and 47 contact lever 35 wire 48 to magnet 87 of electropneumatie valve 36 thence to ground returning to battery 40. This circuit serves to keep device 86 from applying the brakes of the tram onlv as car 6 passes over ramps as 5,

9, or 10 if said ramps are energized. Slightly after establishing the above two circuits by raising of shoe 12 further upward movement of said shoe opens the following circuit;

Stick circuit.

From battery 40 wires 46, 49 and 50 contact lever 19 wire 51 contact lever 20 wires 52 53 and 54 to magnet 38 rcturning to battery 49 through ground. It will be noted that a ter shoe 11 passes onto ramp 9 contact lever 20 likewise is raised and this circuit is opened at a second point. It will further be noted. that if both shoes 11 and 12 are lowered as when leaving the ramps this circuit energizes magnet 38 thereby keeping device inoperative. The object of this circuit is to energize magnet 38 and keep device 36 inoperative as the car is passing from one ramp to another.

After shoe 12 has moved along ramp 1O sufficiently to allow shoe 11 to engage ramp 9 and after shoe 11 has elevated sufficiently to operate contact lever 22 to its closed 305ltion following circuit is establishec Unsz'gaolled territory pickup circuit.

From battery 40 Wires 46, 49, 55, contact lever 17 wire 56 contact lever 22 fires 57, to relay 3O thence to battery via ground. Relay 3O raises contact lever 32 and by doing so establishes a partial circuit which is completed when shoes 11 and 12 are lowered in the following particular manner. t will be noted that the center portions B and B of ramps 9 and 10 are equal in length. and also that the leaving portions 1D and D are equal in length and have the same angle of inclination, The object of this is to require that shoes 11 and 12 substai'itially lower at the same time and at the same rate as air (3 moves forward. By this procedure control levers 19 20 will close before levers 17 and 22 open and the following circuit will be established before the unsignalled territory pickup circuit is opened;

Hasty-nailed territory retaining Oticllil This circuit is identical with the stick circuit as far as wire where at the juncture of wire 54 itbranches oil to wire 59 contact lever 32 wire 60 wire 58 relay 30 to battery 40 via ground. It is seen therefore that as shoes 11 and 12 leave ramps 9 and 10 contact levers 19 and 2O in closing establish two circuits. namely the stick circuit and the unsignalled territory retaining circuit. The latter circuit serves to keep relay 3O energized when car 6 is travelling in unsignalled territory. While relay 30 is energized it also serves to supply energy to signal device 39 as follows branching from Wire 60 which is supplying energy to relay 3(), to wires 57 rupted by contact lever 19 or 20 and as said relay becomes tie-energized the circuit is further openedby lever 32. The closing of levers 19 or 20 cannot IQ-GSttlbllSlltllG circuit until car 6 has again passed over ramps as 9 and 10 and in the direction of arrow A.

Should car 6 attempt to travel against tratlic or opposite to arrow A, the unsignalled territory retaining circuit could not be established for the following reason. As the portion C of ramp 10 is of greater length than C of ramp 9, shoe 11 will lower before shoe l2 and therefore levers l9 and 20 will not lower substantially at the same time. This gives relay 30 time to open contact lever 32 and the circuit cannot be established. However owing to ramp 10 being permanently energized control relay 38 will {eep device 36 inoperative as before described.

In addition to preventing the establishment of the unsignalled territory retaining circuit, the uneven portions C and C also serve to establish an against traffic circuit.

As my system of train control as above described is part of a system preferably of the single can control type, means are provided to cut-out train control from all cars of a train except the one from which the operator is directing his train. To accomplish this the following circuit is established when both car switches and are thrown to the neutral position N. From battery 40 wire 62 contact lever- 28 wire 63 contact lever 29 wires 64:, 53 and 54 to mag net 38 returning to battery 40 via ground. This circuit therefore keeps device 3-3 inoperative on all cars independently of movement of shoes 11 or 12 except the car from which the operator is directing his train.

From the entire foregoing description it will be seen that I have invented a system of train control by which a train may travel freely in either direction over a roadway as long as the operator obeys the signals. Further that as a train proceeds along a trackway equipped with a signal or train control system and leaving such territory enters territory not having signals or train control, signals are automatically established on the train to indicate to the operator that his train is travelling in such territory, and that said signal is maintained until the train again enters territory having signals of train control, whether said train be t'avelling in the direction of, or against trailic. Further that as said train enters sigi'ialed -or train controlled territory in either the traffic or against tralfic direction, proper signals and performance of control appara us is established whereby said train may freely operate subject to signal in dications.

It will be evident to those skilled in the art that modifications of my system may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention.

hat I claim to be new and desire to secure Letters Patent on is,

1. In an automatic train control system for trains of the multiple car type in which a plurality of cars of each train are equipped at each end thereof with manually operable car control means which manually operable means may assume a forward, a reverse and a neutral position; the combination with automatic train control mechanism for each car so equipped; and means for automatically rendering the automatic train control mechanism of a car inactive when the manually operable car control means at both ends of such car assume the neutral position.

2. In a train control system, a road bed divided into block sections, a vehicle adapted to travel thereon, means for automatically controlling the movement of said vehicle from said read bed, the functioning of said means being normally dependent upon the movement of other vehicles in advance of said vehicle when travelling in the normal direction of traflic and independent of the presence of other vehicles when the move-' mentof said vehicle is in a direction against traflic regardless of which end of the vehicle is foremost, and means carried by said vehicle for rendering ineffective said functioning of said controlling means dependent for operation on the means for controlling the direction of movement of said vehicle, whereby said vehicle may move without control in a direction against traffic.

OSCAR A. ROSS. 

